Proposals have already been made to perform laboratory investigations of phenomena of localized corrosion by pitting, using glass-walled electrochemical cells under temperature conditions that do not exceed about 100.degree. C.
Laboratory materials have also been made for investigating the phenomena of corrosion under stress under relatively severe environmental operating conditions corresponding to temperatures of less than 200.degree. C. and pressures of less than 10 MPa. These materials comprise a single reactor whose structure is nevertheless not adapted to enable investigations to be performed of generalized corrosion at temperatures that may be in the order of about 600.degree. C. to about 900.degree. C.
That is why it has not been possible, heretofore, to investigate generalized corrosion phenomena in simple and convenient manner in the laboratory for temperatures going beyond about 200.degree. C.
A specific object of the present invention is to remedy the above drawbacks and to make it possible to perform investigations of generalized corrosion under varying conditions of attack from liquid and gaseous media under pressure and at very high temperature, while nevertheless using an installation that is compact.
Another object of the invention is to make it possible both to investigate generalized corrosion and to investigate corrosion under stress using installations that are similar in design.